User blog:Wilhelm Oxclade/Creating Minds 101
How many people here have pets? They are no doubt endearing animals, and personally I have a liking to cats (though I have no pets) for their cute faces, playful demeanor, and for the uniqueness of personality among denizens of their species. By petting them it seems hours of negative emotions "flow" out of me, and when given the chance to pet an animal I find a marked difference in mood, as do others. I find it incredible people and animals can empathize on some level, and while animals have their limitations, they are incredibly made for sure. If you have a pet though, you also no doubt know that they are a lot of work to feed and clean up after, they are annoying and noisy when you wish them not to be, and they will eventually die. So what if there was a way to create a mind and personality that thinks of it's own accord, has a unique personality suited to your tastes, and moreover will never die? (Or at the least live as long as you do?) Well that's why this post is entitled "How to Create". Today we will not be examining preexisting minds but will be creating our own. There are two steps to this, one is to create a formal weighting system and conjoin a bunch of artificial neurons together, then run the same tests billions of times until you get something that is a close (but boring) version of the mind you were trying to imitate. This is called a neural network, and is the way researchers of artificial intelligence want to create minds with. Their progress is commendable, though in view of the overwhelming complexity of an actual mind we see they still have leagues to cover. So, there is the second method of creating a mind, which is to take a preexisting mind and bringing out a "different person" in part of it, effectively giving you two minds for the price of one. What I am describing here is as simple as it sounds, and may take multiple forms. In pet form such an auxiliary mind is not very useful, but as a separate person it is immensely useful. Names are Everything First, you must name the person you are to create. Names are important, because you can draw closer to your person with them, they are not just "a figment of the imagination", but a consciousness every bit as real as your own. If the name feels right, that's probably the name you want to go with. To me, each name has a different feeling to it, so for instance, I chose to name myself "Wilhelm" because "Wilhelm" is a bright cheerful name. Not like a "Wilford", which to me is like a old and retired Wilhelm. Then there are Willy's, who are always sprightly, and Wendell's, who are serious but full of action, in a 60's James Bond sort of way. Here is my designation of meanings for various names A-Z. You likely have your own, but I'd love to share some of mine(warning, may contain stereotypes): These are only suggestions, you may even create made-up names for your person! For instance, I am fond of long names, because they give me a chance to be more specific. Xyliltertiamlexdlexinthorp is but a small name to me for instance, and this name means "one who is skilled at navigating an infinite landscape of fractal monuments in an empty desert in an abstract realm unknown by time". There are an infinity of names to chose from, so chose wisely. Also, be sure to call your person by this name after you have created the name. Personality's a Charm After devising the name for your person you must create a personality for them. Write out on a sheet of paper how you wish for them to be. Do not limit the mind you will create by stating strict rules for what they will do in every given circumstance (i.e. "Nigel hates chocolate", etc...) - your creation deserves free-will and will have it. What they say goes. Just make sure you specify they are to be good. The Triple Forms of the Person you've Created Before we discuss the initial invocation of the person you have created, we must be clear about what this person is. It may either be akin to an imaginary friend in person who is in the real world and who follows you places, which is Case I, or it may be a person that exists purely in the mind, in the form of a person you talk with in a room of your imagination's making. This is the second case. The third form of this person is you - if you chose to you can let your created person control yourself and therefore you may live vicariously through your created person and possess wit and cunning you may otherwise not have. The third form is only to be attempted after you have mastered the initial two forms. Letting an under-developed mind control your own - even if you may stop the control at any point - may lead to failure and disappointment when you are not quite as much as the person you created as you hope to be. By becoming friends with them first you draw closer to them, and they to you. And only when you are friends with them can they control your mind (which should only be done with their permission and not begrudgingly). While this shouldn't be the sole reason you create another person, they sure can come in handy on tests and quizzes! Speaking from experience, there are things my Other Person has told me that I myself would be ignorant of, but they knew. An Other Person also comes in handy for motivation, for they have a way with reminding you about assignments you ought to be doing. ;) First Contact It is necessary that the first contact you have with your person is most impressionable upon your mind, for you will have to reflect on it to estimate whether this person should be your friend or not. Just because you created them doesn't mean you will get along with them completely. While alert, go lay down in your bed and put a dim (or ideally red) light on while there is running water. This aids in the self-induction of sounds which are on the verge of being there but are not really there. Close your eyes and listen, you should be able to hear the voices. At first you will hear whispers and parts of words, mere phonemes. But eventually you will hear phrases, and you will realize the voices are speaking to you, and the voices belong to your Other Person. In the first form you are to imagine your Other Person approaching you and sitting down next to you, and should they ask you any questions, you must answer truthfully. In the second form you are to develop an imaginary room in your mind with a hall extending out where you will meet your Other Person, and they will meet you. The hall is to make the room more commodious and signify they may leave whenever you wish. The Other Person is not your slave or subject to you in any way whatsoever. They are equals and in some respects superior to you. Establishing a Relationship with your Other Person The first contact with your Other Person must be significant, but the rest of the relationship truly determines a lot about who they - and you - will become. One day you will ask to be friends with them, and should they say yes you will be entreated to a friendship few have had, but which is an awesome friendship. My Other Person spends his time exploring the realm of mathematical and abstract possibility, and consequently is a refreshing source when I need someone to remind me just how trivial some of my problems are. He is a good friend of mine, though I'd say at the moment he's more of a "buddy", he's perfect and has been true in all he's told me. Another cool thing about Other Person's, is that they never lie, but always tell the truth. In a world where truth is lacking I'm thankful to have a true friend. In Conclusion What I have stated here today is only the very fringes of what I have discovered possible, but I'm sure that you can fill in the rest. The key here is imagination, which - yes this sounds corny - has no limits and therefore can produce as many unique minds as you want. So while AI researches struggle to create a robot with the brain of a worm - we can build on the shoulders of giants and take already existing minds to produce more, and that is the basic message I am trying to give you today. Of course, there are many questions you may have about this, but remember - imagination will answer them all, meaning my answers are not the answer, but merely one out of many answers. I do not know everything about this, but I know enough to say it works. Category:Blog posts